Falcon's debut album, and the first album Greg Lindstrom plays on since Frost and Fire (1980). That is, the first in 24 years! Here are some new songs and some re-recordings of unreleased Cirith Ungol songs that Greg wrote for Ungol in the 70's.

Scheduling is underway for our album recording session. Tentative dates so far are November 22-26. Me and Greg will be flying out to Pennsylvania to rehearse with Darin a few days prior. Then we'll be driving out to Maryland to record with Chris Kozlowski at the helm. Looks like we're gonna record 10 songs. -Perry

Flying so low to the ground
Cynical view, the world gone wrong
Banished utopia laid to waste before its time
Heeds the worst case scene in his heathen ways
Got no use for a crutch
Solutions bring more questions to your mind
Answers never found

Chorus:
Given life, but born to die
Made to suffer, age and go blind
Given life, but left to die
We're all goners when doomsday's near

Slavin' and wastin' our time
Spinnin' the wheel at the same old grind
Taken for granted, trodden and trampled
Fake smiles hiding rage
Jealous masquerade on crooked paths
Will my task be done
When the noose is hung before I die

From this tower I can see it all
Past, present, future in chaos
Many years ago I climbed this slope
I was young, down, in need of hope
A rite of passage to manhood
The truth written in alcove stone
Friends stry and turn their backs
I found my calling on that ledge
Visions of a deep blue sky
The roar of guitars in my mind

Chorus:
Natives planted their feet here
I find my dreams when I am near
It might seem bleak, but it's real
Castle Peak, the summit heals

It's a long journey down
Some slip, some fall, lose it all
I returned to blaze that trail
Striving to reach new heights

Chorus
Solo - Perry

In moonlight its shadow looms
Sentinel for the valley below

Seasons pass and trials true
The tower stands by the moon
Find the time to ride the wind
And scale the cliff to destiny

Pentagram is a US Doom Metal band that formed in 1971. They released a bunch of singles and demos in the 70's, until finally the debut album was released in 1985.

All tracks are
mixed except one. We weren't quite satisfied with my vocalson "On the
Slab," so the possibility of having Bobby Liebling
from Pentagram guest on vox on that song was brought
up by Chris Kozlowski. I left lyrics and a short note for Bobby before
departing for Cali.
Bobby phoned yesterday and we had a good talk about "On the Slab."
We're honored to have Bobby workin' with us on this
one and expect to have the track finished up in about another week. Really lookin' forward to this one, as it's dedicated to Thin Lizzy bassist/singer Phil Lynott,
a big hero to Bobby and the Falcon dudes.

-Perry Grayson, 24 Feb 2004 (before release)

Just got a CD-R of Bobby Liebling
singing On the Slab, and I have to say that I was blown away by his performance—and
I hope you'll feel the same way when you hear it.

-Perry Grayson, 08 Mar 2004 (before release)

I sang it on the demo and also in the studio. Wasn’t 100% satisfied with my performance, so we decided to let Bobby have a crack at it. We haven’t been playing it live, but we will, and I’ll be handling the vocals. Unless of course we get to play with PENTAGRAM or just in the D.C. area, in which case I’ll invite Bobby up on stage!

The possibility of having Bobby sing a tune on the FALCON album was brought up by Darin McCloskey, and I think all three of us were up for it. But we had a very limited time to get the recording done. It was towards the end of our fifth and last day of recording when I went back to try to sing “On The Slab” again. While I felt I was doing better at it than I had the day before, it was still the one song that we thought could be a bit better. So, Chris Kozlowski again brought up Bobby, and we all jumped at the chance. I left a brief note and the lyrics for Bobby with my phone number. Greg and I flew back to L.A., and Bobby called me about two days later to say how floored he was by the track. Which in turn just blew my mind, ’cause I really admire Bobby as a songwriter. He was thrilled to be able to pay tribute to his (and our) hero, Phil Lynott. When he said how much “On The Slab” nailed THIN LIZZY’s style, I was just speechless. To this day I’ve never met Bobby, but we had some good long talks on the phone, and I hope to see him the next time I’m in the Maryland/D.C./Virginia area

-Perry Grayson, Headache interview, 2005 (after release)

The song is dedicated to the late Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy

I liked what little Lizzy I heard on the airwaves as a small kid, but
it took years till I owned an album. I went slightly backwards. I was a
die-hard Maiden fan in the late ’80s, but didn’t get into Lizzy and
Wishbone Ash until the early ’90s. I’ve been paying a lot more
attention to the older dual axe attack bands like Lizzy, Wishbone Ash
and Bubble Puppy/Demian than Maiden for a long time now. Maiden
popularized the twin harmony leads, but the older bands were a little
less one-dimensional. Once I got Jailbreak back in the ’90s I went
nuts, snagged Lizzy’s entire catalog. Even the Eric Bell-era stuff. I
found myself writing those Irish and Celtic inflected melodies and dual
harmony parts. What about my tribute to Phil Lynott on the S/T Falcon
album? “On the Slab” is an enormous nod to Lizzy. Specifically the
Brian Robertson/Scott Gorham lineup. Phil penned amazing lyrics and was
one of the best pick-playing bassists ever. He was a poet, a bad-ass
and tortured at the same time. The junk may have made him manipulative,
but otherwise he was one of the true geniuses of rock.

-Perry Grayson

From their first album on, Thin Lizzy has been one of my biggest
musical influences, although it may not always be obvious. And even
though their early albums are a bit spotty, I’ve got a special fondness
for the Eric Bell lineup. Cirith Ungol played covers of “Gonna Creep Up
On You”, “Vagabonds Of The Western World”, and “Return Of The Farmers
Son” for quite a few years.

-Greg Lindstrom

Lyrics

Shootin' up and tappin' your veins
You're burning out, hangin' by gallows high
Makin' my gallows high
Stars goin' nova before their time
At the end of your rope
You'll inhale your death off a slab
On the slab

Chorus:
I still remember those days when rock legends they died hard
Never learning their lesson, stickin' those needles in their arms
Never heeding that warning till they're laid out on a slab

Reaching out for blue skies
Clawing at that gray soil
Taking the long slide down to a beggar's grave
Excuses so lame to glorify your game
Long since gone
Your family, they cry
Your beligerence
You gave up everything dear
Leaving your friends in fear
Leaving your friends in tears

A live video of Falcon performing Redman can be seen at the bands MySpace-site.

An old friend, Rob Preston (Doomed Planet Records main-man) introduced me to BANG a decade ago. I was mesmerized by their cool combination of heavy riffs and catchy song arrangements. Several years after I first got into them I discovered BANG had reunited and started a website. I hooked an interview up with original drummer Tony D’Iorio and managed to land that feature with Metal Maniacs in the U.S. and also Psychedelic Fanzine and Slow Ride. It was especially cool for me to get to know Tony, Frank Ferrara and Frankie Gilcken. I met them a few times when they came out to L.A., so there’s definitely a personal connection there. They’re one of those bands from the seventies that I’m just such a nut for. I couldn’t believe that they’d decided to get back together, much less that I’d have a chance to meet them and show my appreciation for the killer music they’d committed to vinyl!

We love to play BANG’s “Redman” live. It’s an integral part of our sets. We throw in some improv jamming at the end most of the time to give folks more of a taste of that old loose seventies vibe.

-Perry Grayson, Headache interview, 2005

Lyrics

Nations died and lost their land
And sacred ground turned to sand
Our leaders words the cries of our kin
Aswirl around us, adrift in the wind

A weapon of war invaded mankind
Fatal germs killed all left behind
Sparing those few who fled underground
Unlike the Redman would never be found

We all need a wishing star
A spirit to tell us who we are
Our future's unclear it's baked in the clay
Give us a chance to start a new day
Start a new day...

Solo - Perry

Why we were spared we may never know
We're given a choice, a gun or a bow
Beneath our feet the survivors have died
Again through the calm of nature we ride

We all need a wishing star
A spirit to tell us who we are
Our future's unclear it's baked in the clay
Give us a chance to start a new day
Start a new day...

This song was originally recorded by Cirith Ungol on their orange demo album from 1978. It had Greg on vocals.

Lyrics

Cruising down the road, how could I know
What would happen that night
My engine just died, I didn't know why
My eyes were blinded with light
I started to run, then started the fun
For then came the Beast in the night
I turned round to see it beckon to me
And felt my blood turn to ice - to ice!

As it capered toward me, all I could see
Were eyes filled with fire
As I felt its caress, and the heat of its kiss
My loathing turned to desire
I leapt to its touch, fell into its clutch
My heart beat faster and faster
I knew it too late to change my fate
I was slave, It was master

When you travel down this road
You know you're sellin' your soul
To the Beast who is waiting
For you alone
On Route 666
Oh, now you've been picked
By the Beast who is waiting
On Route 666

Solo - Perry

If you don't believe what happened to me
Don't you call me a liar
Just look in my eyes; Don't look so surprised
I said they're filled with fire
Now it's your turn, and now you will learn
What it means to be picked
So goodby my friend, I'll see you again
I'll meet you on Route 666...

The spider Shelob was the inspiration for the tune "Shelob’s Lair",
which was written by Lindstrom around 1975. You can also see the spider
motif repeated in the longsleeve shirt axeman Jerry Fogle used to wear
at practices and gigs.

Perhaps they weren’t Alice Cooper, but Beattie is said to have covered
his hands and upper body with fake spiders while his Ungol mates played
"Shelob’s Lair," an ode to the giant spider in Tolkien’s The Two Towers.

-Perry Grayson, 31 Jan 2006

There is a fanvideo created by celestiall on youtube. He has unfortunately disabled embedding videos on webpages, but you can see it by follow this link.

Lyrics

Escape from danger to the light of day
But they knew too little of Shelob's ways
Thoughts are stifled in the choking air
Forever trapped in Shelob's Lair
Shelob's Lair

Warned by eyes that never sleep
Orcs swarm from their dungeons deep
Nazgul's cries rent the air
The Ringbearer lies in Shelob's Lair

Solo - Perry

Shelob was hungry, intent on her prey
She never looked where Samwise lay
Even as Sam looked on in despair
She sensed an intruder in Shelob's Lair
Shelob's Lair

Too late she looked and felt the bite
The bite of Sting pierced her page
Stench of death filled the air
Now Shelob dies in Shelob's Lair

A re-recording of a old Cirith Ungol song, that was entitled "Half Past Human - Quarter To Ape".

Lyrics

Travel forward into time, to see what's going to be
Evolution in reverse; an ugly thing to see
Fifty million centuries; Man-Ape ruled the Earth
Science is forgotten, as Darkness sweeps its curse

The dying sun flickers, like a candle in the wind
Man-Ape only laughs; there's still time for sin
Sacrifices to the Beast; hear their baleful cries
A ritual old as time; for evil never dies

The Beast has arisen; to lead Its Chosen Ones
Into darkness eternal, beneath the dying sun
Underneath the eidolon, the ritual begins
Thirteen screaming souls, to feed the one within

Solo - Perry

Earth is dark and frozen; there'll never be another dawn
The bloody rule has ended, for mankind's faithless spawn
Dead disciples, a frozen Earth, but the Beast It does not mourn
It croakes a laugh and turns Its thoughts to worlds as yet unborn